About Us
Trusted advisors, helping our clients invest, preserve and distribute wealth since 1973.
For more than 35 years we have provided trusted advice with an independent perspective to individuals and businesses. As a family business, we enjoy helping families simplify the seemingly complex process of organizing their finances, planning for future needs and goals, and adjusting these plans as situations change over the years. Working with clients for many years, as we have, you develop a strong relationship. We enjoy that and we care deeply that our client’s wishes are carried out throughout their lives and beyond.
Independence in retirement is a priority for our clients, and we help many clients think even beyond that to the legacy they wish to leave their families and communities. "We are currently working simultaneously with three and four generations of several families," says Dick Hilliard. "The success of our business is the result of the personal service we have afforded our clients. We understand the issues these families face and help them through the planning and decision-making process involved with these issues."
We believe the greatest compliment and evidence of the effort we put into our relationships are the many clients who refer us to their friends, family and business associates. We are always grateful for those referrals.
Eric joined the family practice in 1995, although the plans for partnership with his father began when he was in high school. Eric immediately made significant improvements to office infrastructure and employed up-to-date technologies, ensuring the firm could continue to grow and efficiently service clients. At the same time he began developing new client relationships for the firm. Now over 14 years later Eric manages the office, has achieved the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification and advises current and prospective clients. Eric previously spent several years in the banking industry.
Eric has been recognized by Raymond James, based on personal production, with membership in the RJFS Executive Council*. He has been asked by local media to comment on the market and has appeared on NBC17.
Eric feels satisfaction at being able to help clients through challenging markets. He especially enjoys the rewarding feeling he experiences when helping clients take control of their financial futures by setting plans in place toward achieving their goals and dreams. Eric says, “When a client asks ‘Will we be able to afford to send our children to college?’ or ‘Will we be able to retire and have an income that will allows us to live comfortably?’ It is my desire to assure them that the plans we have put in place are designed to help achieve those goals.”
Eric earned a bachelor's degree with a concentration in finance from East Carolina University.
Eric and his wife, Jenny, have a 5 year old son, Everett.
Eric and Jenny enjoy a variety of outdoor activities together: gardening, biking, relaxing at the beach, scuba diving, snow skiing, traveling and of course, playing with Everett. During the fall they stay busy coordinating weekend schedules around East Carolina, Auburn University and Tampa Bay Buccaneer football games.
Dick, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, began his financial advisory career in 1973 after leaving a stable career as an engineer with a major firm in Raleigh. He began building his business in the midst of a bear market. With the support of his wife and two children, and a lot of work, Dick built a thriving practice that has survived two of the worst bear markets since the Great Depression and continues to grow.
Dick has been a registered representative affiliated with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. in Raleigh since 1975. In 2000, Dick was honored for being one of the few remaining "original advisors" of Raymond James Financial Services by founder and former CEO Tony Greene. He has consistently been a member of either the Raymond James Executive Council or President 's Club*, receiving firm recognition as a top advisor, for more than 20 years.
Dick has been quoted on several occasions by local media on multiple financial planning and investment topics.
Dick graduated from Virginia Tech. After serving in the Army and traveling the world, Dick and his wife, Pat, settled in Raleigh. Their son, Eric has been Dick's partner for 13 years. Their daughter, Troy, is married with four children and resides in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
Dick is an avid sports fisherman. Most weekends during the summer you will find him on his boat and spending time with his grandchildren in Wrightsville Beach.
Jenny Hilliard joined the firm in 2006 bringing valuable experience from her previous 13 years working in the investment profession. She is involved with many aspects of the business primarily marketing the business and conducting investment and product research.
Previously, Jenny worked as a regional vice president for a mutual fund company, responsible for sales and relationships in the Southeastern United States. From 1993-1997 Jenny worked at the Raymond James international headquarters in St. Petersburg.
Her experience in marketing and management both at the branch and corporate level gives the office a tremendous resource to draw upon.
Jenny grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, and graduated from Auburn University with a degree in marketing. She moved to Raleigh in 2002.
Jenny enjoys a variety of activities with Eric and Everett, such as bike-riding, traveling to new places, playing and relaxing at the beach, snow skiing, scuba diving, playing piano, reading and watching sports, especially football.
Jody joined our firm in 2007 as a Financial Advisory Assistant and proved to be a tremendous addition. She assists Eric and Dick in the many ways we serve our clients, including, but not limited to investment research, meeting preparation and follow up.
From 2001 to 2007 Jody worked in financial services industry as a Client Service Specialist.
Jody earned a bachelor’s degree with a concentration in Marketing from Radford University.
She is married to Travis and has a young daughter, Mason.
Merribeth has serves as the face of our business since 2006, when she joined our firm as a Client Service Specialist. When you call or walk into our office chances are Merribeth will be who you hear or see first.
Office management is another of Merribeth’s areas of responsibility, ensuring we are stocked with supplies and managing the process of paperwork between our office and the various firms we hire to manage
assets for our clients.
Merribeth graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree.
She and her husband, Luis have two grown daughters, Adria and Alyssa.
*Membership is based mainly on assets under management, education, credentials and fiscal year production. Re-qualification is required annually.
About Raymond James
Raymond James is one of the largest independent financial services firms in the United States. Since its beginning in 1962, it has always been a different kind of company – embracing long-term planning and methodical decision-making while staying uncompromisingly client focused. When other firms were simply buying and selling stocks or mutual funds, Raymond James focused on financial planning to help individuals reach their goals. It was the first firm to pioneer that concept – and today it supports its advisors with access to a full range of comprehensive resources, helping them to do the same.
- More than 6,500 financial advisors
- 2.4 million client accounts
- 2,600 locations (United States, Canada and abroad)
- $372 billion in client assets
- $38 billion managed by its subsidiary asset managers
Raymond James Financial was named the best full-service broker in the 2011 SmartMoney annual broker survey for the third time in four years – ranking above Edward Jones, Wells Fargo, UBS, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.
For more information, visit raymondjames.com.
SmartMoney does not endorse any product or service of Raymond James. The survey criteria included performance of recommended stocks, customer satisfaction, and user-friendliness of account statements and websites. Past performance may not be indicative of future results.
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